From: Montclair, Virginia. It’s a town located about 30-45 minutes from Washington DC.

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Spanish from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Currently working: in Granada, Spain

About Me: In my 3rd year at the university I went to Valencia with the University of Virginia’s study abroad program. I lived with a family and on a daily basis struggled to communicate, especially my feelings, in Spanish. I became interested in language acquisition and upon my return to George Mason, I signed up for a special Psychology course about cognitive psychology with a focus on learning other languages. I loved the Spanish lifestyle and sought out a bit of a personal journey through South America to find out why I was attracted to the Spanish language. I wondered if I had fallen in love with Spain because it was my first time out of the USA. I visited many countries: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

Work: I currently work as “auxiliar de conversacion” through the Spanish Ministery of Education. Also, I give private classes to many different levels. This blog is supposed to serve as resources for all of my students. As there is a variety of levels, I’m working hard to get my materials up.

Why did I start with this job? Deep inside, I knew I had to return to Spain, and I had heard about the “auxiliary” program through one of my professors at George Mason. I applied to the program and in 2008, taught at I.E.S Las Cumbres in Ubrique. I wasn’t sure what to do after my first year and I ended up moving to Granada. After one year of teaching private classes, I applied again to the “language assistant” program and was lucky to be placed in Armilla. This is my second year working at C.E.I.P. San Miguel.

My work: Last year I worked with preschool to 6th grade and entered in many classes. It was a good experience but I unfortunately didn’t have enough time for each level. This year, I am working with the bilingual classes in the science and math classes. I work with first, second and third grade. In addition, I give private lessons. I’m constantly challenging myself to find new ways to teach, interesting materials, and above all, help with the oral aspects of learning English. Soon I will put up a summary of my projects with the school.
If you have any questions please write me an email and I’d love to share my ideas or experiences:
knewmanster@gmail.com